41-Zephaniah 1 – Matthew 9
Oct. 3, 2009
We will begin our Study this week in the Book of Zephaniah. Last week we quickly covered many of the books of the Minor Prophets and what they spoke to the people. This week we will finish up the minor prophetic books and also the Old Testament before finishing up in the Gospel of Matthew. Zephaniah was the only prophet of royal decent. One of his ancestors was King Hezekiah. Zephaniah prophesied during the early reign of Josiah in Judah before Hilkiah found the Book of the Law and Josiah began his reforms. During this time Assyria was loosing control of world power to Babylon and the yoke on the people of Judah had eased for a time. In Chapter 1 Zephaniah began by looking toward the last days and the final day of the Lord. This time will be a time of judgement on the earth. All those who are not living for the Lord will then be removed. The end of the chapter describes that day as a day of wrath, trouble, distress, destruction, desolation, darkness, and gloom. Chapter 2 covers the Lord’s judgments on the enemies of Judah. In verse 4-5 Zephaniah spoke the Lord’s words against Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, the Cherethites, and the Philistines. In the last days God’s people will be restored and occupy these fallen peoples lands. In verse 8-9 the attention is turned toward Moab, then in the end of the chapter, Ethiopia and Assyria are prophesied destruction. In the final chapter Zephaniah spoke woe on Jerusalem and the nations of the world. Jerusalem is spoken against because of her disobedience and rejection of the Lord. The nations are also spoken of with pity because of their rebellion. In verse 9 the Lord said “For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder.” This will reverse what Isaiah said during his call to service in the Book of Isaiah 6:5 “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Then at the end of the chapter Zephaniah spoke about the restored remnant of Israel. This ends the Book of Zephaniah. We will now move on to the Book of Haggai. Haggai was written during the time of Ezra and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem after the exile around 520 BC. The Prophet Haggai, along with Zechariah was called by the Lord to encourage the returning exiles in the rebuilding of the temple and their spiritual condition. As the book begins, in Chapter 1, Haggai is instructed by the Lord to go to Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest and tell them it is now time to rebuild the temple. The people had returned to Jerusalem sixteen years earlier. Haggai was also told to encourage the people with these words from verse 13 “‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord.” In Chapter 2 the builders were encouraged in their task. The Lord said that soon His Glory would return to them. In the end of the book, Haggai spoke of the future Millennial Kingdom and Israel’s return to prominence. This ends the Book of Haggai. We will now continue with the Book of Zechariah. Zechariah like Haggai was also written during the time of Ezra and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The prophesies of Zechariah are full of references to the coming Messiah similar to the prophesies in the earlier Book of Isaiah. Chapter 1 opens with a call to repentance to the returned exiles from Babylon. They were instructed to not make the same mistakes as their fathers. Their sin and disobedience for years had caused the ruin of Jerusalem and the deportation the people had been released from. The book then shifts to a vision of a man on a red horse that patrolled the earth. This man appears to be a pre-incarnate vision of Jesus reporting to His Father that the state of things on the earth was peaceful and quiet. He then went on and laid out the plans for the temple with a measuring line. The end of the chapter spoke of four horns and four craftsmen which corresponded to the four kingdoms that were in the dreams and visions of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar from the Book of Daniel. In Chapter 2 the vision is of angels talking and measuring out the city. The Lord said He would come and protect the city. He then told the people to flee from the land of the north, and return to Jerusalem. The Lord said in verse 8 “After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.” This should be a warning to all who seek to harm Israel today. Touching Israel is like poking God in His eye! In Chapter 3 the vision is of the Lord’s rebuke of Satan and of Him changing the filthy garments of Joshua the High Priest to clean ones. This was a picture of the future salvation of Israel. The Messiah is then introduced as the Branch and the Stone with seven eyes. The number seven in the Bible represents perfection. Chapter 4 is a vision of two olive trees and a seven branched lampstand. The people were told in verse 6 the temple would be completed “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” The two olive trees represented Zerubbabel the king and Joshua the high priest that foreshadowed the Messiah in His dual role as priest and king. Chapter 5’s vision was of a flying scroll which represented the curse that was over the face of the land. The scroll was to purge the land from all wickedness and unbelief. The vision then turned to an ephah that represented the wickedness. An ephah was a unit of dry measure. Chapter 6 was a vision of four chariots that went to patrol the earth. The visions of Zechariah help to show that the Lord is always watching what is going on in His creation. Then the vision turned to symbolic crowns for the High Priest and the Branch. Zechariah then told the people the Lord’s words in Chapter 7. In verse 9-12 He said “Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ “But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing.“They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts.”
In Chapter 8 Zechariah spoke of the peace and prosperity that will come to Zion during the Millennial Kingdom. Then in Chapter 9 he spoke a prophecy to the nations that were near Palestine. It is here in Chapter 9:9 where the prophecy of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is described “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” At the end of the chapter Israel’s future deliverance is predicted.
Chapter 10 covers the future blessings on Israel during the millennial reign of Jesus. The Lord said in verse 12 “And I will strengthen them in the Lord, and in His name they will walk,” declares the Lord.” The last chapter spoke of the blessings of prosperity and peace that is to come to Israel after the second coming of Christ. Here in Chapter 11 Zechariah wrote of the rejection of the Jewish people of their Messiah during the first coming of Jesus. The people are referred to as the doomed flock that the Good Shepherd abandons to fend for themselves. In Chapter 12 Zechariah said that Jerusalem would be a central point on the earth in the last days and be attacked. At this time it was recorded in verse 10 “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.” Then in Chapter 13 false prophets will be found out and the people will be refined. In the final chapter it is recorded that the Lord will fight off Jerusalem’s enemies in the end. When Jesus returns and places His foot on the Mt. of Olives it will split into a great east west valley and living water will spill from the gap. At this time the stars will go out and the Lord will be our Light and our King. The enemies of the Lord will be destroyed and it will usher in a time of peace and goodwill. This ends the Book of Zechariah. We will now look at the Book of Malachi. Malachi is the last book of the Minor Prophets and also the final book in the Old Testament. Malachi was most likely written around 430 BC after the temple had been rebuilt in Jerusalem and the sacrificial offerings had been resumed. The people had again become corrupt and were given their final warning before the Messiah would come. In Chapter 1 Malachi begins by reminding the Jewish people that the Lord chose Israel through Jacob, and hated Esau for his rejection. He then said the Lord could not accept their worthless blemished offerings. The priests had again become corrupt. In Chapter 2 the Lord said the priests would be disciplined for their actions. They were under condemnation because it was their duty to instruct the people and be an example. They had refused to do this so the Lord said there was sin in the family and in verse 15-16 He said “But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the Lord of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.” In Chapter 3 the Lord said he will send a messenger to clear the way for a purifier. It was recorded in verse 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.” The people were told to return to the Lord. The chapter shifts in verse 8 to say the people have robbed God in their tithes and offerings. They would not even do their duty to provide for the priests and the poor. The Lord said in verse 16 “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name.” A prophecy was then made of John the Baptist who came before Jesus in Chapter 4:5-6 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.“He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” This ends the Book of Malachi and also the Old Testament. We will now begin the New Testament with the Gospel of Matthew. After the prophesies in the Book of Malachi a period of over four hundred years passed with no inspired writings from the Lord. The Bible had covered all of history from the beginning of creation until the time of Malachi. After this was a quiet time from the Lord, but an eventful time in Israel. It was during this time world conditions were being prepared for the coming of Jesus and the spread of Christianity throughout the world. We will begin the New Testament with the Gospel of Matthew. The word gospel means good news, and that’s what the coming of Jesus Christ has meant for us and the world. Matthew was written to show Jesus as King by the tax collector turned apostle, Levi. Chapter 1 begins with a genealogy of Jesus through His adoptive father Joseph. This was to prove that Jesus had rightful claim to the throne of Israel because Joseph was a descendent of King David. At the end of the chapter Joseph was visited by an angel who explained the pregnancy of his future wife before he gave her a divorce. The angel explained that this was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. Matthew 1:23 reads “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” Chapter 2 begins after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and describes a visit by the Magi from the east. These Magi were descended from the wise men of Babylon that were led by Daniel long ago. They were astronomers and followed a new star that prophecy said would lead to the rightful king of the Jews. Herod, who the Romans had installed as king was jealous of a rival and called the Magi to tell him the date the star appeared. The Magi visited Mary and the Child and gave them expensive gifts. They were told in a vision to return to their homes a different way in defiance to Herod. Joseph was told in a dream to take Mary and the Boy to Egypt for a time. Herod then had all the male children under 2 years old near Bethlehem killed to remove his threat. After Herod’s death Joseph was visited again and told to return to Israel. They settled in the town of Nazareth. Chapter 3 is the account of John the Baptist who was predicted by Isaiah and Malachi in the Old Testament. He was to come before the Messiah to clear the way and prepare the people. John lived in the desert and walked about baptizing converts and preaching a message of repentance. He also spoke of Jesus who was to come after him. At the end of the chapter John baptized Jesus as part of our Lord’s preparation for His earthly ministry. Jesus was led by the Spirit, in Chapter 4, into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. He used the Word of God to rebuke the Devil and also to ensure that it was a true statement that He was tempted in all the ways of men. Jesus began His public ministry in the town of Capernaum in the District of Galilee. Verse 17 says “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He then called His first disciples. While walking near the Sea of Galilee He told Simon, known as Peter and Andrew who were fishermen in verse 19 “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” After this he also called James and John. He then went through the land proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing the sick. Chapter 5 covers the first recorded sermon of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount. Here He spoke the beatitudes that told who would be blessed. He then spoke to His disciples the illustrations of salt and light. Jesus said in verse 17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” The Lord then gave His disciples greater insight on murder, adultery, divorce, and punishment. The new covenant was based on love, not on law. Chapter 6 continues the sermon and spoke about giving to the poor and the proper attitude for prayer. True godly prayer is personal and not for show or advancement. Jesus also gave His disciples the Lord’s Prayer as a model for their own personal prayers. Jesus then covers the act of fasting and the proper way to fast. He tells us our treasure is in heaven, and that we can only serve one master. At the end of the chapter Jesus gives us the cure for anxiety in verse 33-34 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Chapter 7 concludes the Sermon on the Mount with a warning against judging others. We are told to correct our own faults before we even think of pointing out another’s. He next told us the golden rule and described to us the narrow gate to heaven, and the easy wide gate to destruction and torment. We are also told that we should be able to discern our brothers and sisters by their fruit or obedience to the Lord. The end of the sermon describes in illustration the two foundations life can be built on. The wise man built his house on the rock, where the foolish man built his on the shifting sands. In Chapter 8 Jesus came down from the hill and healed a man who was a leper. He told him to tell no one but go to the priest for cleansing as was required by the law. He then healed a Roman soldier’s servant from a distance because of the soldier’s faith in Him. Jesus then healed Peter’s mother-in-law to fulfill Isaiah 53:4 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried” Jesus then had His disciples take him across the Sea of Galilee in a boat to escape the crowds. Jesus was sleeping when a storm came up and tossed the boat on the waves. The men awoke Jesus in fear for their lives and Jesus rebuked their faith and the winds and calmed the sea to the amazement of the men. On the other side of the sea in the country of the Gadarenes they ran into two demon possessed men in from the tombs. The demons were afraid of Jesus and asked to enter a herd of swine that were nearby. Jesus allowed it and the swine ran and were killed in the sea. The people gathered and asked Jesus and His disciples to leave their region. They were angry for their loss of the swine. The sad thing is that Jesus never did return there to heal them or help them. In Chapter 9 Jesus healed a man who was paralyzed. Some scribes heard and saw Jesus and accused Him of blasphemy. After this Jesus saw Matthew, the tax collector and called him to service as another disciple. He then ate dinner with the tax collectors and sinners to the disgust of the Pharisees. At the end of the chapter Jesus performed more acts of healing out of His compassion for the people who were hurting and sick. In verse 37-38 He told His disciples something that is sadly still true today “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Jesus has told all of us to do the work of evangelism throughout our lives here on earth. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will continue in the Gospel of Matthew.